Judge Andrew Jones commits to strengthen public trust

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Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Andrew Jones is committed to ensuring that his time on the bench only strengthens the public’s trust in our courts.

“Trial court judges are absolutely central to the functioning of our legal system. They need to be efficient and effective in handling and resolving the many kinds of cases that come before them. But, more importantly, they need to be independent, they need to be fair, and they always need to faithfully and equally apply the law to everyone who appears before them,” Jones said.

Having practiced as a trial and appellate lawyer at every level of the state and federal court systems for more than 24 years, Jones believes he was in a position over those many years to learn what makes a judge a good judge, one parties and their lawyers respect and welcome the opportunity to appear before, regardless of the nature of their case.

According to Jones: “In my observation, good judges are always prepared, having done the hard work to be ready to hear a case. Good judges are open-minded and ready to listen. Good judges are respectful of the lawyers and parties who appear before them, recognizing how important every dispute is to the parties involved. Good judges are never result-oriented, and they instead handle each case based solely on the facts presented and the applicable law.”

“Parties need to be able to rely on the fact that when they come before a judge, the law will be enforced and applied as it is written.” But, Jones also emphasized, “the people of this community also need to know and be able to rely on the fact that the law will be applied equally to everyone, without exception.”

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Jones’ legal education and career presented him with numerous opportunities to prepare for his service on the bench. From his work with the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Shirley Abrahamson, and the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund as a law student, to his work handling complex cases on behalf of the City of New York and public and private clients here in Wisconsin, to his service on the boards of directors of two major law firms, the arm of the Milwaukee Bar Association that helps fund and oversee the Milwaukee Justice Center, and Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Jones believes he has the courtroom and leadership experience necessary to serve the people of Milwaukee County well as a judge.

“Now that I am a judge, I am fully committed to serving all residents of Milwaukee County with distinction, fairly and impartially applying the law to everyone who comes before me. My courtroom does not belong to me. Instead, it belongs to the people of this community. As a sitting judge, I am very grateful to have the opportunity to contribute in such a meaningful way to our judicial system and the community as a whole. I would be honored to continue to serve the people of Milwaukee County as the judge in Branch 40 of the Milwaukee County Circuit Court.”